Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:
- That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
- We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
- On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.
By learning about Duncan (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.
As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Duncan. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Duncan is located in Stark County.
To see how the shape of Illinois' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Stark County: Bureau, Henry, Knox, Marshall & Peoria.
Below are the counties that are near Duncan. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Duncan:
- Stark County (The home county of Duncan)
- The following are listed by their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Wyoming
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Speer
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- West Jersey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- West Jersey is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
- Toulon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Modena
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Modena is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
- Castleton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- La Fayette
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Osceola
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Osceola is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Bradford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bureau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Milo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Milo is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
- Neponset
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Buda
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sheffield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Tiskilwa
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mineral
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Wyanet
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bureau Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bureau Junction is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bureau Junction
- Population from the 2020 Census: 297 people
- Bureau Junction has also been known as:
- Bureau
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bureau Junction <1>
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Farmington
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Norris
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Brereton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Brereton is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brereton
- Breeds
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Breeds is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Galva
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Kewanee
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Bishop Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Annawan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Cambridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Woodhull
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Williamsfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Victoria
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Dahinda
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Yates City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Appleton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Appleton is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
- Altona
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Maquon
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Gilson
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Oneida
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Knox
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Knox is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
- Wataga
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Knoxville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- East Galesburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- East Galesburg is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Galesburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 761 people
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Camp Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hopewell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Hopewell is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
- Sparland
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lacon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Henry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- La Rose
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Varna
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Peoria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Princeville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Monica
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Monica is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monica
- Edelstein
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- West Hallock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- West Hallock is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hallock
- Laura
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Dunlap
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Elmore
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Elmore is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
- Brimfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Orange Prairie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Chillicothe
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Edwards
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Mossville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Elmwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Putnam
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hennepin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Trailpark Gardens
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Trailpark Gardens is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trailpark Gardens
- Harvard Hills
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Harvard Hills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard Hills
- East Peoria
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- East Peoria is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Peoria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 22,344 people
- Former name for East Peoria:
- Hilton
- Wesley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wesley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Creve Coeur
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Creve Coeur is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creve Coeur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,109 people
- Former name for Creve Coeur:
- Wesley City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Creve Coeur <1>
- Highway Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Highway Village is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highway Village
- Robein
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Robein is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robein
- Sunnyland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- North Pekin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- North Pekin is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pekin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,530 people
- Former name for North Pekin:
- Radio City
- Beverly Manor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Beverly Manor is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Manor
- Farmdale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Farmdale is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmdale
- Marquette Heights
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Marquette Heights is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marquette Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,617 people
- Caldwell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Caldwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell
- Woodford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Spring Bay
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
- Bay View Gardens
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Bay View Gardens is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View Gardens
- Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
- Germantown Hills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Metamora
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Washburn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Duncan, see our County-by-County Page for Duncan.
Cemeteries Near Duncan ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Duncan.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Duncan - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Duncan covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Schiebel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Walliker Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Princeville Twp. Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sheets Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Stringtown Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Apostolic Christian Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Streitmatter Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Starwano Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Campbell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Woertz Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- St. Dominic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (294 more) ...
- Wyoming Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- County Farm Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Ertley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Duncan had a population of 180 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Duncan, with the one closest to Duncan listed first.
- Stark
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Stark is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stark
- Princeville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Monica
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Monica is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monica
- Wyoming
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- West Jersey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- West Jersey is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
- Laura
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Akron
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Akron is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akron
- West Hallock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- West Hallock is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hallock
- Edelstein
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Lawn Ridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Lawn Ridge is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawn Ridge
- Toulon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Elmore
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Elmore is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Dunlap
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Castleton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Waldron ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Waldron is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Duncan. See our List of 1890's Communities around Duncan.
Newspapers Published in Duncan ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 213 newspapers that have been published in the area around Duncan.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Duncan, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Duncan.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Duncan:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Stark County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bureau County
- Fulton County
- Henry County
- Knox County
- Marshall County
- Peoria County
- Putnam County
- Tazewell County
- Woodford County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Duncan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Duncan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |